The chat room: You can't frighten me, I am a nationalist and a patriot
Not since the JNU incident, has the word "sedition" been bandied about as it has this week. But, once again, not for the right reasons! Actor-politician Ramya, recently accused of "sedition" over her comments for praising Pakistan after a recent visit - she said "Pakistan is not hell" - and followed that up by implying that Mangaluru wasn't heaven either - and set off a furore, facing the full wrath of the saffronists. Since then, the young actor turned politician has stood firm, refusing to backtrack but equally clear that the bigotry and the rhetoric will not get her to back down.
"My schedule has gone haywire since the sedition reports were flashed by media. I have been busy for the past few days clarifying and also speaking up and fighting for what I believe in, for what I believe is the right thing to do," says Ramya.
Recalling the day that the Pakistan controversy went viral, she says, "I just landed and went to Mandya after attending the SAARC convention as a part of the delegation in Islamabad. And, there was a press conference where I was asked for my experience there and media person said that some minister had earlier called it as hell. To that I said it is not true and they are just like us."
Within hours, she was shocked to find that all the local news channels are playing up their own version of her statement. Some stress "Ramya supports Pakistan" while some stress, "Ramya is batting for Pakistan".
"Each one was more innovative with the headline than the other and I realised at that moment that all the Kannada channels were competing with one another and hence were going at lengths to be more creative with the headlines," she says. A day later she gets a call from a journalist that a sedition case has been slapped against her. It was only later that it would emerge that the advocate had saffron sympathies.
"I was shocked and amused when I heard about it. It is sad when news such as this is played up as people who are watching get carried away by nationalism. The moment you say Pakistan they get upset and hence, the television channels need to understand that," adds Ramya, who however doesn't sound depressed even after the saga.
The case against her was filed by Katnamane Vittal Gowda, formerly pro-Sri
Ram Sene, who has launched his own party. Ramya has some pertinent
questions about his motive in it all. "I could not understand the motive behind such a case and even if you are so moved by what I said and you did slap a case why would you share a copy with media persons?" she asks.
Ramya is not a woman who doesn't do her homework. "Out of some 57 sedition cases only one has been proven, meaning that people are misusing the law and psyching the sedition law which is only adding to innumerable cases. My advice is don't add to this," she says.
On being asked to say sorry, she asks: "Why should I say sorry? The thing is, I don't mind saying sorry. But I have to stand my ground. Our founding fathers sacrificed their life for us to enjoy this freedom and for me it is important to fight for this freedom. So that tomorrow people can speak fearlessly and cannot be bullied."
She goes on to say that this scenario is in no way different from what it was during the times of British rule or furthermore in countries where opinions are crushed by extremist groups. "It is imperative for me to uphold the very principles of freedom that our founding fathers sacrificed their lives for," she says.
But, how does one keep going on amidst all this? "I have chosen the most democratic way to deal with and prefer not to react. I am 33 years old and I have been in the film industry for 13 years and in politics long enough to not be affected by all this," says the unexpectedly gutsy woman who entered politics with a splash in 2013, and then lost her seat in 2014.
